Mass Effect: The Ancient Enemy
by Quick-5
Summary: 200 years have passed since the end of the Reaper War. The denizens of the Milky Way Galaxy have been experiencing an era of peace and prosperity, but little do they know that an ancient and powerful threat is rising. The crew of the SSV Shambhala may have stumbled upon the key to stopping them, and saving the Galaxy from subjugation! Title changed from Mass Effect: Resurgence.
1. Chapter 1

Shadow Broker Log: Cmdr. Jane Shepard

2154: Jane Shepard born on Mindoir

2170: Batarians attack Mindoir. Alliance Soliders John Shepard and Hannah Meer-Shepard KIA.

2173: Jane Shepard enlists in the Alliance.

2177: Alliance Unit on Akuze destroyed by thresher maws. Jane Shepard sole survivor.

2180: Jane Shepard accepted into the N7 program.

2183: Geth attack on Eden Prime. Jane Shepard stops Geth. Saren Arterius rebels against council. Jane Shepard tracks Saren to Ilos. Geth attack Citadel. Jane Shepard leads Alliance against Sovereign. Battle of the Citadel ended in Alliance victory.

2183 addendum: Collectors attack Normandy SR-1. Jane Shepard declared KIA.

2185: Jane Shepard sighted alive in the Terminus Systems. Reportedly working for Cerberus.

2185 addendum: Collector Base destroyed. Geth Heretics rewritten.

2186: Reapers invade. Shepard sent to unite all fleets in the galaxy. Genophage cured. Krogan-Turian alliance forged. Quarian-Geth war ended in truce. All thanks to Shepard.

2186 addendum: Crucible activated. Reapers ally with organic forces. Shepard declared KIA.

* * *

"Staff Lieutenant Mason, please report to the Captain's Cabin. Repeat, report to the Captain's Cabin." the synthesized voice of the ship's VI droned over the intercom.

"Hear that? The Captain wants to see you." Flight Lieutenant Derrick Lowe spoke up, looking away from the ship's window for just a moment.

"Careful, luv." Service Chief Alfred Montgomery commented. "He looked angry last time I saw him."

"That's because he was looking at you." Lowe said.

"Not my fault he can't handle my charms." Alfred quipped.

"Thanks for that, now he's going to take it out on me." Staff Lieutenant Alexandra Mason stood with her hands behind her back overlooking the stars beyond the cockpit. The flight lieutenant sat in his seat making sure the ship flew steady, and Montgomery leaned in the doorframe overlooking the situation casually.

"Pleasure's all mine." Montgomery said, smiling. Mason scoffed before heading out of the cockpit.

"Do you make it your mission to piss off everyone you speak to?" Lowe asked, flipping a few switches above the front window.

"Well, when you're good at somethin'..." Montgomery trailed off before heading off to his post.

Staff Lieutenant Alexandra Mason strode through the CIC, nodding to the navigation crew as she approached the elevator. "Lieutenant." Navigator Jean-Paul Clerico spoke up as Mason pressed the elevator button. "Get in trouble with the Captain?"

Mason turned to glance at the balding man overlooking the Galaxy Map. "I hope not." she said. "We all know how he can get when he's flustered."

"Some of us more than others." Clerico said, glancing at Montgomery heading downstairs. "Well, I bid you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Navigator." Mason said, smiling as Clerico returned to the Map. A small "ding" announced the arrival of the elevator and the doors swiftly opened. Mason moved to enter but was bumped aside by a dark-skinned woman overlooking a datapad.

"Delpratt." Mason greeted.

"Lieutenant." Engineer Maisie Delpratt addressed Mason without even looking up from her work as she walked away.

Mason shook her head as she proceeded into the elevator and pressed the appropriate button. The doors closed, locking her in the tiny metal box she knew so well. She glanced at herself in the polished metal of the doors, making sure she was presentable. She tucked a loose strand of pale blonde hair behind her ear and straightened her uniform. She was a professional, after all. She had to look the part.

She noticed that her eyes were looking a little less blue and bit more red of late. She definitely needed a good night's sleep, and a chewing out from the Captain wasn't going to help her with that. She'd have to worry about that later, as the elevator had reached the Captain's Cabin. With another "ding" announcing her presence Mason strode into the room, her boots clomping on the floor as she stood stock straight, ready to greet the Captain.

"Staff Lieutenant Mason reporting, sir." She said, saluting. The Captain's Cabin was nothing spectacular, though more glamorous than the crew's quarters. A single bed sat in the middle, covered in white sheets with a plastic bedside table holding an orange holographic alarm clock. Over the bed was a window peering out into the vast blackness of space, the stars dotting the massive blank canvas. Off to the right was a door leading to the Captain's private restroom (a feature that inspired the jealousy of the entire crew) and grooming quarters. A simple working desk covered in datapads and a single computer alongside a small photograph was installed off to the left. Everything a Captain needed to be a solitary commander was present in this captain.

"Lieutenant Mason." The man himself was hunched over his desk, looking at an image on the computer. "Do you know why I called you up here?" he asked.

"No, sir." Mason replied, her face stoic.

"C'mere." The Captain beckoned her over and she made her way next to him. Captain Harold Tsu was a grizzled old war horse of Chinese descent with a stony face bearing a bushy moustache of pure white. He was almost never seen without his cap, so the crew had a betting pool about whether or not he had hair on his head. Mason didn't know his exact age, but she estimated he was at least 110 years old. Just by looking at him she could tell he's seen a lot in his day, but he very rarely opened up about his days before reaching the rank of Captain.

"You know where we're headed, Lieutenant?" The Captain asked, turning to look at Mason.

"Nefrane, sir." Mason answered. A primarily Asari colony and mining community.

"Do you know why we're going?" The Captain asked.

"We're going to recover some sensitive cargo and deliver it to the Citadel, sir." Mason said. "We went over this in briefing, sir."

"Yeah, that's the 'official' story." The Captain said. "But what do they say about the 'official' story, lieutenant?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Mason asked.

"Granted." The Captain allowed.

"'Only an idiot believes the official story.'' Mason recited what she'd heard from her crewmates countless times.

"That is correct." The Captain said. He picked up a datapad and handed it to Mason. "Take a look at this." he instructed.

Mason held the datapad and examined the photograph on the holographic surface. The photo was of a bizarre sphere sitting in a sealed container. The sphere was coloured various shades of black and murky green, as if it were a window into the deepest depths of the ocean.

"What am I looking at, Captain?" Mason asked, still looking at the datapad.

"Hell if I know." The Captain said. "All I know is that the Council wants it on the Citadel ASAP. I want you to go retrieve it."

Mason's brow furrowed. "Why send an Alliance vessel, sir?" she inquired, looking at the Captain. "Why not just send a Citadel ship?"

"Apparently they want to keep this as hush-hush as possible." The Captain explained. "They don't want this operation tracked back to them."

Mason looked back down at the mysterious orb. "Must be pretty important." she stated, thinking. What qualities could this artifact have that have the Council so desperate to have it?

"Must be." The Captain agreed. "We've got a Citadel representative meeting us there to make sure everything goes smoothly. They said we'll find her by the dig site."

"'We', sir?" Mason asked.

"We're bringing a crew along to load all the 'cargo' onto the ship." The Captain explained. "You're gonna be a part of it."

"With all due respect, sir," Mason said. "I'm a soldier, not a supervisor."

"I trust you, Alex." The Captain said, causing Mason to raise her eyebrows at the use of her first name. "But I don't trust this situation." He looked her dead in the eyes as he said that.

"...Don't worry, sir." Mason stood straight up, saluting. "I'll be ready for anything."

"At ease, girl." The Captain said, prompting Mason to relax her shoulders. "I think my last comment made that clear."

"Right. Sorry, Captain." Mason said, clasping her hands behind her back.

The Captain scoffed, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"Captain Tsu." The voice of the ship's VI rang out. "Flight Lieutenant Lowe wishes to speak to you."

"Patch him through, Lena." The Captain ordered.

"Captain? Lowe here. We're about to touch down on Nefrane." The pilot's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Roger that." The Captain said, turning to Mason. "C'mon. Let's go meet the locals."

"Aye aye, sir." Mason agreed, following the Captain to the elevator.

* * *

"Watchpoint Kylos, this is SSV Shambhala requesting permission to land." Lowe spoke over the radio.

"You ever been to an Asari colony, Lieutenant?" The Captain asked.

"No, sir." Mason said.

"Nice places." The Captain replied. "The Asari keep their streets clean...and the company's always nice."

"I'm sure they are, sir." Mason replied. "The Asari spare no expense when it comes to keeping their cities clean."

"That they do." The Captain agreed. "Makes you wonder what lies beneath the surface."

Mason rolled her eyes at her Captain's bait-and-switch comment. He was a cynical man, always expecting the worst in everything. She always wondered if that traced back to a bad experience, or several bad experiences, he'd had in his early years. She knew he fought in a war before, but he wouldn't say anything else. She didn't pry. He was her superior and it would be rude.

"We read you, Shambhala. You're clear to land." A female voice sounded over the radio, giving the ship its landing co-ordinates. "You'll be greeted by a landing party when you reach the co-ordinates. Prepare for inspection upon...wait a minute."

"Watchpoint Kylos, is something wrong?" Lowe asked. "Do you read?"

The voice returned, interrupted by occasional static. "..Fall back! Repeat! Do not la..."

The Captain moved forward and activated the radio. "Watchpoint Kylos!" He shouted. "Kylos, do you read!?" No answer came and the Captain stepped back. "Goddammit."

"Should we pull back, sir?" Lowe asked, looking back.

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Lowe! Stay on course. If things get hairy, take evasive maneuvers." he ordered. "Mason! Report to the armory. We need to get ready for trouble."

"Aye, sir!" Both Lowe and Mason shouted, saluting. The Captain made his way swiftly to the elevator, barking orders over his radio to whomever he needed. Mason followed him, joining the Captain in the elevator on their way to the armory. Upon reaching the desired floor the two soldiers briskly walked out of the metal box and into the gun-filled area right next to the shuttle bay.

"Gear up, Lieutenant!" The Captain orders. "I have a feeling we've got a fight in our future."

Mason nodded and strode to her armor locker, pressing the button and watching the door slide open. Inside the locker was her light-grey Alliance Armor. To some, it would just be another combat hardsuit given out to nearly every Alliance soldier, but to her it was special. That suit of armor had shielded her from certain death time after time and there was no protection she'd rather wear. She reached into the locker and pulled out the suit, marveling at it for just a moment before getting dressed. She pulled on the gauntlets, the greaves, the breastplate, the boots and then finally the helmet. She smiled as she activated her tactical visor, bringing up her heads-up display. Whenever she stepped into her hardsuit she felt ready. She was ready for whatever would come her way. She'd trained her whole life to serve the Alliance, and she would do so with pride and honor.

"So, looks like we've found some trouble already." A heavily accented voice pulled Mason from her thoughts. A tanned, bearded soldier was suiting up next to her. "Shoulda known this was more than a bloody transport mission."

"We didn't expect trouble, Service Chief." Mason said. "This is a surprise to us all."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Service Chief Montgomery retorted. "I'm also sure the Captain didn't tell you what was really going on upstairs." he pulled on his boot and walked up next to her, leaning on a nearby locker. "So, what'd he tell you?"

"What the Captain tells me is on a need-to-know basis, Montgomery." Mason said. "If you don't need to know, you won't."

"Aw, c'mon." He prodded. "You know you want to share."

"For the last time, Service Chief, I'm not sharing the Captain's secrets with you." Mason insisted.

Montgomery and Mason stood in silence for a moment, trying to read each other as best they could. Montgomery then pushed off the locker and walked away. "OK. I tried." he said.

Mason's eyebrow raised. "Really?" she asked, somewhat bewildered at his giving up so easily.

"I think we've got more important things to worry about, luv." Montgomery explained. "'Sides, you referring to me by my rank is enough to tell me you don't feel like talkin'."

Mason smiled again. "Alright." she said. "Thanks, Monty."

Their conversation was halted by Engineer Delpratt walking between and past them, fiddling away with her glowing orange omni-tool.

"Lieutenant. Chief." She addressed the other soldiers.

"Maisie." Monty said. "Will you be joining us on Nefrane? Odd seeing you out of the engine room."

"Trust me. I would much rather be there." Maisie replied, not looking up from her tool. "But the Captain said we might need a tech expert so...here I am." Maisie spoke with a light accent that Mason always had a hard time placing. Her best guess was Jamaican, but she wasn't entirely sure.

"Huh." Was Monty's only response.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do, Delpratt." Mason said, smiling.

Maisie looked up from her omni-tool (much to the mock surprise of Monty) and met Mason's blue eyes with her own black ones. "Well...thank you." was all she said before returning to her omni-tool.

The three soldiers strode to the weapons locker to collect their wares. The large metal shelf held Alliance-grade weapons of every flavor one could imagine. From tiny sub-machine guns to massive rocket launchers, anything a soldier could need in a combat situation was present and accounted for. Mason chose an M-11 Avenger assault rifle, a somewhat generic, yet reliable weapon, alongside an M-9 Phalanx heavy pistol. Monty decided to grab an M-32 Katana, his usual weapon of choice for close encounters, before grabbing an M-7 Predator pistol. Maisie decided to be a tad more conservative with her weapon choices, grabbing an M-9 Phalanx pistol alongside an M-14 Tempest sub-machine.

Soon enough several more crew members made their way to the armory, suiting up and arming themselves. They didn't know what they'd be facing, so they made sure they were ready for anything. Some soldiers grabbed assault rifles, others grabbed shotguns, and others grabbed sniper rifles. One particularly enthusiastic individual lifted the ML-84 Missile Launcher. The way he chuckled as he held the RPG disturbed everyone near him.

"ATTEN-SHUN!" A loud shout carried across the room, grabbing the attention of every soldier in the armory. The Captain stood before the M-1200 MegaMouth Tank, clad in jet-black armor clashing horribly with his pristine-white captain's cap. One hand was held behind his back while the other grasped an M-17 Carnifex pistol, a pistol known for putting a proverbial ton of force behind each and every shot.

"Listen up, troops." The Captain said. "We're about to touch down on Nefrane. We don't know what we're up against, only that they were able to overpower the security forces of Watchpoint Kylos."

"To be fair, sir," A soldier spoke up. "it is just a small mining community."

"Yes, it is." The Captain responded. "A small mining community protected by Asari Commandos and, as of this morning, a Council Spectre." That shut the soldier up. "Rule number one, son: never underestimate the enemy. You'll get yourself killed that way."

The soldier gulped, saluting. "Yes, sir." he said.

"Now, back to the briefing." The Captain continued. "Watchpoint Kylos is a recently-discovered Eezo mine under Asari control. It's on a popular trading route so it's grown fairly prosperous in its short lifespan. They're likely here to steal the supplies we were here to transport, so be wary."

Mason listened to the sitrep like every other soldier, taking in the information relayed to her. The Captain looked directly at her when he spoke of the enemy stealing the supplies. A silent order to make sure the artifact wasn't the target. She gave the subtlest of nods.

"Once we touch down we'll get a hold on the situation and assign everyone a position." The Captain ordered. "Now-"

*BANG*

The ship suddenly shook violently, knocking a good portion of those on board right over. Something had impacted Shambhala, and the Captain made a rush to activate his radio.

"Lowe! What the hell just happened?" He shouted.

"We got enemy fighters in the air, sir!" Lowe called. "They're on our tail! Taking evasive maneuvers! Hang onto something!"

The rest of the crew took Lowe's advice and grabbed onto whatever was closest, Mason and Monty found a set of lockers to grapple while the Captain and Maisie clamped onto the MegaMouth. The tank was immovable when in lockdown (something the crew was very thankful for.)

Back in the cockpit, Lowe's efforts to avoid the enemy ships proved to be a herculean effort. The enemy ships were unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and he'd been around the proverbial block in his time. The ships were much smaller than the already-slim frame of the SSV Shambhala. The enemy ships seemed more like escape bods and full-on vehicles, with an absolutely tiny, grey, spherical center with wings in the shapes of x's. Each of these wings had a plasma cannon built into it, allowing them to pepper Shambhala with high-intensity blasts.

Lowe checked his radar. Two fighters on his tail. One right behind him, and one under the wing. Both were rallying up for another blast. He had an idea, but it would be risky. Then again, it was either risk the maneuver or die in the sky anyways. It was worth the risk. His hands flying across the holographic interface, Lowe grit his teeth as he commanded his ship. With great speed, the Shambhala performed what could only be described as a barrel roll, spinning 360 degrees. In this maneuver, the enemy ship underneath the wing was smacked away by the very part of the Shambhala it was using for cover. The enemy fighter hurtled to the ground, ejecting a panicked pilot as it fell.

There was only one fighter left, and after the loss of its friend it seemed to be flying a bit more cautiously, keeping its distance from the Shambhala as it peppered the wings with plasma volleys. Shambhala's cyclonic barriers were barely holding up. The enemy fighter kept the Shambhala in its sights, focusing all its attention on taking out its means of mobility. It was so focused on its task at hand that it didn't notice the ship's hanger open up to reveal a massive tank aiming right at it.

*BOOM*

The MegaMouth's turret fired a high-impact shell directly at the enemy fighter, shredding it on impact. The husk of the fighter fell to the ground and exploded.

"Good shot, Lieutenant." The Captain praised.

"Thank you, Captain." Mason radioed from inside the tank.

"Good work, guys." Lowe praised over the intercom. "We're in the clear...for the moment. I'm gonna put her down. Hang on."

With that, the ship began its smooth descent. "Watchpoint Kylos, come in." Lowe attmpted to make contact with anyone still alive at the base. "Kylos, do you read me?"

"...SSV Shambhala? Is that you?" A feminine voice called over the radio.

"Affirmative, Kylos." Lowe said. "We're landing now. Tell us where to go."

"Affirmative." Kylos responded. "We'll brief you on the situation when you touch down." Watchpoint Kylos transmitted landing co-ordinates and Shambhala made their way to the landing zone.

* * *

It wasn't long before Shambhala touched down at the landing zone, as designated by several distress flares sent up by the miners. The community had set up a sort of refugee camp outside the watchpoint, surrounded by security forces. As soon as the ship hit the ground the Captain and Mason exited the hanger to be greeted by a group of well-armed asari, one walking ahead of the others. All of them were armored in sleek black uniforms, though the primary asari's armor was an indigo color with white shoulders and kneepads. She stood noticeably taller than the other asari, and was carrying a very large shotgun. Her skin was a pleasant sky blue color and her eyes were a sea-green. They were fixed on the Captain and Lieutenant as they made their way out.

"Captain Tsu?" The asari asked. As she approached an insignia on her chest became more visible. It looked like a broken-up "v" rising from a circular door.

"Yes, that's me, and this is Lieutenant Mason. She's my number two." The Captain confirmed. "And you are...?"

"Call me Kelyrnea." The asari said. "Special tactics and recon."

"Spectre..." The Captain acknowledged. "So, you're our contact?"

"That I am." Kelyrnea confirmed, nodding.*

"So now that they're here, are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?" One of Kelyrnea's compatriots asked her, clearly annoyed and frustrated.

"We were wondering that ourselves." The Captain added. "We were told this would be a simple pickup operation. Weren't expecting a fight."

"That why you brought a tank?" Kelyrnea asked in a sarcastic manner. The Captain was not amused, though Mason couldn't help but smirk at the response. "In any case, the attack just began. There was no warning, no sign beforehand...they just appeared out of nowhere."

"They don't look like any merc band I've ever seen." One of the asari commandos said. "Markings and colors are all wrong."

"What are they here for?" Mason asked.

"Eezo." One of the asari replied. "What else?"

Mason, the Captain, and Kelyrnea all traded looks. They knew exactly what else, but said nothing.

"Miriar, you and your squad head back to base, keep watch." Kelyrnea ordered. "I'd like to have a word with the Captain."

"And why can't we hear this, spectre?" The asari, presumably Miriar, asked.

"For one, it's official Council business." Kelyrnea replied. "Two, you've got civilians to protect. Three, I said so. Now move!" she pointed to the camp and the commandos reluctantly walked away.

As soon as the commandos were out of earshot Kelyrnea turned back to the Captain and Lieutenant, rolling her eyes. "Some people, huh?" she said.

"Tell me about it." The Captain responded. "Anyways...the artifact. What do we think?"

"Almost definitely the target." Kelyrnea said. "As soon as the attack started they aimed for the storage facilities. Specifically the one where we were keeping it."

"Could be a coincidence." Mason suggested. "How would they know where to look?"

"A mole, most likely." Kelyrnea said. "We were well-guarded. They couldn't have pulled this off without insider help."

"Do the commandos know that?" The Captain asked.

"They suspect." Kelyrnea answered. "That's the other reason I sent them away."

"Hmm..." The Captain put a hand to his chin. "What's the current situation?"

"They've got fighters patrolling the facilities alongside foot soldiers." Kelyrnea informed. "They aren't attacking us, so they must be focusing all their efforts on finding the artifact."

"We can't let that happen." The Captain said.

"Agreed." Kelyrnea said. "We're launching an assault on the facility in 2 hours. Care to join?"

"2 hours?" Mason asked. "Wouldn't they have found the artifact by then?"

"Don't worry, Lieutenant." Kelyrnea said. "I'm the only one who knows where it is. They'll never find it."

"We'll see." The Captain said. "It's a good thing we showed up. We'll lend you our troops for the assault, though I will personally be commanding them, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Kelyrnea agreed. "Get your people briefed. We move in 120." She turned around and headed back to the camp.

"Mason." The Captain said. "Pick out a team. You're going to find the artifact while everyone else gets these maniacs off this planet."

"Understood." Mason said. The Captain nodded and proceeded back into the ship. Mason paused. "Sir?"

The Captain stopped. "Yes?" he said, looking back.

"I have a...contact in the area. Non-Alliance." she said.

The Captain's face hardened. "Is this 'contact' who I think he is?"

"Aye, sir." Mason confirmed. "I'd like to request permission to get in contact. We could use the help."

"...Fine." The Captain agreed before walking off.

"Thank you, sir." Mason saluted (even though the Captain had his back turned) and went off to a secluded area to make the call...


	2. Chapter 2

"Where is it?" A gravelly voice growled. "Where is it!?"

Crates of element zero flew across the warehouse as the commander unleashed a biotic discharge into the room. The bulky, uncouth krogan stomped forward as he snarled, his entire body radiating light blue biotic energy. His black armor covered his entire body, making him seem like a massive shadow, except for glowing green eye holes piercing the darkness.

"Well, you won't find it just throwing things around, Kraul." Another voice, much smoother and less coarse than the first, spoke. An asari, dressed head-to-toe in a sickening green bodysuit, strode into the warehouse, hips swinging with each step. Even if the only other person in the room was an angry krogan, she kept up her seductive mannerisms.

"You said they found a Window, Zemisze." Kraul growled, pointing at the asari accusingly. "I don't see it."

"They did find it. I saw them dig it out of the ground and stick it in the little box." Zemisze said. "But then somebody took it and hid it away in one of the warehouses."

"Well, then where is it?" Kraul asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. "The Grandmaster is expecting a Window, and he doesn't like to be disappointed."

"I know." Zemisze replied. "That's why he hired me."

* * *

"All troops, grab your gear. We're moving out." The voice of the Captain sounded over the radios of every soldier on the Shambhala. A platoon of armored Alliance soldiers began pouring out of the hanger of the ship, quickly mixing with the Asari Commandos.

"You're sure these girls are ready for this?" The Captain asked the head of the Commando unit, Miriar, as they overlooked their army.

"My squad tore through a Cerberus platoon during the War." Miriar said. "They can handle a few pirates."

"Same pirates who drove you out of the settlement?" The Captain asked, much to Miriar's chagrin.

"They took us by surprise." Miriar said, annoyed. "Besides, I'm pretty sure we have a mole somewhere."

"So I've heard." The Captain said. "How are we planning to deal with that?"

"I'm only sending my team into conflict." Miriar said. "I know them. They wouldn't turn on the asari." she looked back at the civilian population. "Them, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about."

"I'll keep some of my troops back here." The Captain offered. "Keep an eye on them."

"Thanks." Miriar said, nodding. She paused, looking at the Alliance forces waiting for orders. "I don't like this."

"Me neither." The Captain agreed. "Something stinks."

"...Well, we're here now, I guess," Miriar said. "and we've got a job to do." She moved forward to address her troops, leaving the Captain to return to the Shambhala where Mason, Delpratt, Montgomery, and Kelyrnea were waiting.

"So, what's the deal, Cap?" Monty asked, holding his shotgun on his shoulders.

"The 'deal', Service Chief, is this." The Captain said. "You three are going to be following Kelyrnea to find our artifact."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mason asked. "You don't need us leading the charge?"

"Finding the artifact is our top priority." The Captain replied. "I need my best on the job...and Montgomery."

"Hey!" Monty spoke up.

"Kelyrnea is the only one who knows where it is, so she's going to make sure you find it." The Captain said.

"Well, that and protecting your asses." Kelyrnea said.

"We can't all be Spectres, but I doubt we'll need your protection, luv." Monty said, turning to his comrades. "Isn't that right, ladies?"

"Hm?" Maisie looked up from her omni-tool, returning from a million miles away.

Monty sighed, taking his shotgun off his shoulders. "Lieutenant?" he asked Mason.

"We can handle ourselves, Kelyrnea." Mason said. "But we'd be honored to fight alongside you."

"We'll see." Kelyrnea said. "I'd say it's time we got moving."

"My thoughts exactly." The Captain agreed. "Mason! Montgomery! Delpratt! Let's move!"

* * *

Kraul and Zemisze briskly made their way out of the warehouse they were searching through. "It's not there." Kraul growled.

"Hmm." Zemisze replied, putting a hand to her chin. "Clever Spectre..."

"Compliment the enemy later!" Kraul spat. "We gotta find that Window or it's both our asses!"

"Calm down, big guy. We've still got an entire town to search." Zemisze said.

All of the sudden, Kraul's radio buzzed to life. "Master Kraul, the Alliance ship touched down outside the settlement." a voice said. "They were carrying a busload of soldiers and it looks like they're preparing to attack!"

"Dammit." Kraul growled. "The asari must have called for help. Get ready to fight back! Rally the troops!" he reached behind his hump to grab his assault rifle, ready for combat.

"Well, this job just got fun." Zemisze said, grinning as blue biotic energy surrounded her body.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not just charging head-on into an alliance platoon." Kraul said. "The Window is still our priority. I'm just ready for what's coming."

"And what if I want to charge head-on into an alliance platoon?" Zemisze asked, her glowing intensifying.

"Be my guest." Kraul replied. "Just don't expect any help from me." he finished, walking off to continue his search.

Zemisze stayed in place, her biotic energy fading as she considered the situation, putting a finger to her cheek. She could go kill some humans. That would be fun. But if Kraul found the Window without her then she may not get payed in full. That wouldn't be good. After sighing in exasperation she decided to follow the grouchy krogan.

That was when she caught sight of someone sneaking around in the alleyways. A group of three humans and an asari. A very familiar asari...the Spectre. Zemisze grinned. She would be payed in full...with interest.

* * *

Kelyrnea peeked around the corner, looking in all directions before rounding the bend, signalling her comrades to follow her. Mason, Monty, and Delpratt followed, weapons raised and ready for combat.

"So, Spectre..." Monty said. "Care to fill us in on what it is we're looking for?"

"Classified." Both Kelyrnea and Mason replied at the same time.

"Real helpful." Monty deadpanned.

"Let's just say..." Kelyrnea sad. "...you'll know it when you see it."

"Again, real helpful." Monty repeated.

Kelyrnea looked back, sending Monty a glare. "Is he always like this?" she asked.

"Pretty much." Mason confirmed.

"He is fairly curious for a soldier." Delpratt chimed in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Monty asked.

"Sh! Quiet!" Kelyrnea ordered, holding up her fist as a signal to halt. The alliance soldiers obey, stopping in their tracks.

Rounding an opposite corner were what could only be described as the enemy. Three soldiers, two humans and one salarian judging by their armor, were spotted. Their armor was as black as the void of space save for green highlights here and there, including their glowing eyeholes.

Their most striking feature, however, were the insignia on their chests and shoulders. It was a white sign, in stark contrast to the black of their uniforms. They clearly wanted them to be seen. It was a circular shape with four sharp triangles pointing inwards from each side. The circle was surrounded by swirls reminding any who viewed them of water.

"Three soldiers ahead." Kelyrnea said. "We ready?"

"Very." Monty replied, clenching his fist to his chest. His body began glowing blue as he charged forward.

"Incoming!" One of the human soldiers shouted, pulling out his pistol. The soldier fired, but the bullets did little to Monty's biotic barrier. Monty responded by blasting his enemy in the face with his shotgun.

The other two soldiers pulled out assault rifles and fired away at Monty, breaking his shield. Kelyrnea reacted by stretching out her hand and biotically lifting the second soldier, the other human, into the air. Mason thrust her arm forward, sending her own biotic projectile forward to detonate a biotic explosion, vaporizing the soldier and knocking the last one over.

"Good shot, Lieutenant." Kelyrnea complimented.

"Thank you." Mason replied.

"What, no praise for me?" Monty asked, spreading his arms in mock confusion.

"You rushed right into enemy fire, Chief." Kelyrnea said. "That was a boneheaded move. You could've been killed."

"This isn't my first rodeo, mate." Monty defended. "I've used the trick before."

"That's true." Mason said. "Though we usually have more intel going in."

The final soldier, the salarian, hastily scrambled to his feet, pulling out his pistol and aiming at Monty. Kelyrnea and Mason quickly raised their weapons, ready to fire.

Suddenly, the soldier began rapidly spasming before falling over, causing Monty to casually look over his shoulder.

"Huh. Guess we missed one." he said. "Nice overload, Maisie."

Kelyrnea and Mason looked behind them to see Delpratt aiming her omni-tool at the location of the soldier.

"Of course." Delpratt acknowledged before walking forward. "Now let's find out what he knows."

"Good idea." Kelyrnea said, approaching the final soldier. "Maybe we'll find out what they're doing here."

"It'd be about time." Monty commented, holstering his shotgun.

The three alliance soldiers and Spectre surrounded their prone adversary, still breathing but inert. Delpratt used her omni-tool to apply a less intense shock to the salarian, sparking him awake again and causing him to shout out in pain.

"You awake? Good." Mason spoke to the soldier. "You're going to tell us who you work for and why you're here. Understood?"

"I have nothing to say to you, alliance scum." The soldier said, turning his head away.

"You're not in much of a position to refuse, mate." Monty said, grounding his foot into the solider's hand, eliciting a whimper of pain from the enemy.

Mason glared at Monty, causing him to remove his foot. "Listen." she said, leaning down to the soldier. "Is giving us basic information about your employers really worth all this trouble?"

"Yes." The soldier spat back, falling silent once again.

"He's not budging." Kelyrnea commenting.

"I could loosen his tongue." Delpratt suggested, holding up her omni-tool. The holographic tool began sparking yellow, indicating the activation of the blowtorch function. The salarian whimpered again.

Mason grabbed Delpratt's arm and pushed in down. "We are not torturing him, Delpratt." she stated firmly.

"How else are we going to get the information we need?" Delpratt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If we torture him he'll just tell us whatever we want to hear." Mason countered. "It will be worthless to us."

She let go of Delpratt's arm and knelt down to the soldier again. "Listen." she said. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you can't give us the information that we need we may have to kill you."

The soldier shifted. "If I talk to you, they'll kill me." he said.

"And if you don't talk to us then we'll kill you." Monty said, earning a glare from Mason. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't, eh?"

"You don't understand." the soldier said in a panicked voice. "They will hurt me in ways you cannot imagine. They, they'll-they'll-they'll-"

"Calm down." Mason said. "If you talk to us we'll place you under Alliance Protection. They won't be able to get to you."

The soldier's breathing began to slow. "You're sure?" he said.

"I promise." Mason replied, giving the salarian a smile.

"Ok..." The soldier said. "I'll tell you."

"That's great, but we still need to find the artifact." Kelyrnea said. "Give us the rundown. Organization, goals, leaders. Go." she ordered, pointing at the soldier.

"Charybdis, gather resources, the Precursors." The soldier quickly spilled.

"Charybdis?" Monty asked. "Wasn't that some pro-human organization?"

"You're thinking of Cerberus." Delpratt corrected.

"Either way, we need to get this soldier back to the Shambhala." Mason said. "Delpratt, Montgomery, get him back to the ship. I'll help Kelyrnea find the artifact."

"Aye, ma'am." Monty said, helping the soldier to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go."

Delpratt nodded before raising her pistol and heading back where they came, Monty and the soldier in tow.

"You sure they won't kill him?" Kelyrnea asked.

"They're soldiers." Mason said. "They'll follow orders." she raised her assault rifle. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

"Move! Move! Move!" A platoon of Charybdis troops fired their weapons at the attacking forces. The alliance soldiers and asari commandos responded in kind with their own bullets and biotic blasts, but the two forces were locked in a stalemate. Charybdis' fighters were kept on their toes by the MegaMouth firing off shells into the air like a fireworks show.

"How much artillery did they bring?" Miriar asked rhetorically, blowing the head off a turian Charybdis foot soldier.

"Too much." The Captain replied, popping off a few shots. "This artifact better be freaking important."

"Captain, this is Delpratt." the Captain's radio buzzed to life. "We have an enemy soldier alive. We're bringing him back to the ship."

"Understood." The Captain replied. "I'll tell Lowe you're on your way."

"Aye-aye sir." Delpratt replied. "We're on our way."

"We've got a prisoner now." The Captain informed Miriar.

"Good." Miriar said, taking out an enemy engineer's shields, opening her up for her troops. "I need someone to take out my frustrations on once this is over."

"What, this isn't enough for you?" The Captain asked, chucking a grenade into the battlefield.

"It's too impersonal for me." Miriar said. "I need to punch something." she launched a warp attack at an enemy vanguard before popping her head off in a purple splatter.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity once this is over." The Captain said as his grenade shredded an enemy krogan to pieces.

"Commander!" one of Miriar's commandos shouted over the radio. "We have an unknown ship approaching the combat zone!"

"Hostile?" Miriar asked.

"Unknown. Looks like a Kodiak Shuttle." The commando said.

Miriar and the Captain looked up to see exactly what the commando described. Out of the clouds descended a rather sinister-looking craft. The ship looked like an Alliance Kodiak Shuttle, but the colors were not standard-issue. The shuttle was rust-red with black highlights. What appeared to be a skull and crossbones was emblazoned onto the side of the chassis. Altogether, the craft gave off an air of hostility and danger.

It was lucky that the shuttle seemed to be on their side. The craft fired its torpedoes at the first Charybdis fighter, maneuvering around the others with the speed and grace of a giant eagle. A second fighter began targeting the mysterious craft, forcing it to fly upward in an attempt to shake it. The shuttle performed a barrel roll as a pair of rockets fired off, striking the fighter and sending it to the ground.

A third fighter approached from the side, catching the shuttle off-guard and ramming into the side. The shuttle shook from side to side as it recovered from the impact, which gave the fighter an opportunity to blast one of the shuttle's thrusters. The shuttle reacted by quickly turning in mid-air and blasting the fighter out of the sky.

Mirirar whistled at the shuttle's performance. "Quite the pilot." she commented.

"Hmm." was the Captain's only reply.

The shuttle's thruster was clearly damaged, billowing smoke into the air, forcing the shuttle to abruptly land right in the middle of the Charybdis soldiers, squashing a few as it fell to the ground.

"Blow up that shuttle!" One of the Charybdis commanders shouted to his troops, causing a number of them to aim at the craft.

"Master Kraul!" The commander shouted into his radio. "The Alliance brought backup! They blasted our fighters out of the sky! We need help, now! We need-AH!"

* * *

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Lowe! It's us!" the voice of Monty shouted from outside the Shambhala. "We've got an escort here."

"What's the password?" Lowe asked, his pistol at the ready. "'Who's like us?'"

"Just let us in." Delpratt said, flatly.

"If you don't know the password then I don't know you're Alliance." Lowe insisted. "'Who's like us?'"

"Damn few." Monty replied. "And they're all dead."

Lowe nodded in satisfaction before activating the hangar door. The door slowly opened to reveal the two soldiers and their prisoner.

"Who's your friend?" Lowe asked.

"An enemy soldier who's agreed to give us some info." Monty said, shoving the salarian into the ship. "Apparently they call themselves 'Charybdis.'"

"Charybdis?" Lowe asked. "Like the sea monster?"

"We're about to find out." Maisie said, holstering her pistol and taking a look around. "What's going on here?"

The shuttle bay had seemingly been converted into a refugee center of its own, with asari civilians occupying the majority of the space. Asari were sitting against walls either alone or in groups, or standing by the hangar door attentively. Navigator Jean-Paul Clerico was seen checking in on a group of young asari, a family, presumably.

"The fighting was getting pretty bad so we let the civilians find shelter in the ship." Lowe explained.

Monty looked around, observing the shuffling civilians. "Then we should probably take this upstairs." he said, glancing at the salarian.

"Yeah, probably a..." Lowe began before trailing off, looking behind the salarian. "Look out!"

As quick as a flash Lowe shoved the salarian to the ground as a bullet fired right into Lowe's chest.

"Lowe!" Monty shouted as he sent a biotic blast hurtling at the shooter: one of the asari "refugees".

The asari was sent flying into the wall behind her, landing on her rear as Monty grabbed his shotgun and aimed it at her head, his teeth clenched in anger.

Meanwhile, the salarian was crawling on the ground in fear and panic as Maisie and Clerico inspected Lowe with the help of several other asari.

"Oh no...oh no..." The salarian repeated to himself, unable to collect himself to stand up again.

"How is he? Tell me!" Monty demanded, his hands gripping his weapon tightly.

"Bullet went clean through his heart." Maisie said. "He's dead."

Monty's eyes closed for just a moment as he heard confirmation of what he already knew. His hands clenched and unclenched their grip on the weapon, ready to fire at any given moment.

"Give me a reason." He growled, his eyes trained on the asari that had just gunned down his colleague. "Give me a reason to pull this trigger."

"If you're going to blame someone, blame the traitorous scum." The asari said, glaring at the salarian, who was in the process of removing his helmet.

"Don't." Monty said. "Eyes on me."

"It won't matter what you do to me." she said, not looking away from the salarian. "Your fate is coming."

"Hey! Eyes up!" Monty repeated.

The asari looked up at Monty, showing no fear, only confidence. "The Precursors are coming, and all those who resist will suffer."

"Shut up." Monty growled. "Just shut up!"

Maisie frowned, breathing a sigh of frustration. After a moment of thought, she placed a hand over Lowe's face and closed his eyes. "We better call the Captain." she suggested. "Tell him what happened."

"...Right." Monty agreed quietly, not taking his eyes, or his aim, off his enemy. "Do that. I'll keep an eye on this one."

Maisie nodded, activating her omni-tool. Meanwhile, the salarian, his face now exposed, was finally able to get to his feet. He looked over Lowe's unmoving body, his eyes filled with terror.

"No. No, no, no!" he stammered. "This is all my fault! All my fault!" he repeated, delirious.

"Would someone shut that frog up?" Monty demanded.

Maisie growled. "I'm busy here." she said.

"I knew this would happen. I did!" The salarian rambled "I shouldn't have come, I shouldn't have, nononono..."

"Easy, now." Clerico said, getting up to place a hand on the salarian's shoulder. "Calm down. Now is not the time for panic."

"...But, but, but..." The salarian continued stammering.

"Hush." Clerico said, silencing the panicking alien. "Stop speaking. Take a deep breath."

The salarian gulped, but complied.

"Better now?" Clerico asked.

The salarian exhaled. "Yes. Better now."

"Good." Clerico said. "My name is Jean. Jean-Paul Clerico. What's your name?"

"...Feiyad." the salarian answered.

"Ok, Feiyad." Clerico said. "We're going to calm down and figure this out. You're our informant, correct?"

"Yes...yes, I am." Feiyad confirmed.

"So...inform us." Clerico said.

* * *

"...And we're here." Kelyrnea used her omni-tool to open the warehouse door, revealing a ransacked house of flipped crates.

"Looks like they already found it." Mason observed.

"Not necessarily." Kelyrnea strolled into the warehouse, weaving around boxes and crates seemingly in search of something. Mason followed cautiously. The trip up had been uneventful, a bit too uneventful. Something was up. She could feel it...

"Here we are..." Kelyrnea said quietly, eyeing an unusual square on the floor. She activated his omni-tool, a small screen appearing with many sequences of code flashing across it. After a moment a light hiss echoed through the room as the codes stopped flashing. The square opened to reveal a secret compartment, hidden beneath the floor, and within that compartment was their prize.

Kelyrnea reached in and pulled out her goal: a sealed glass cylinder, about 2 feet wide, holding what looked like a giant, green marble filled with sea water. Just looking at it sent chills down Mason's spine. The object seemed to exude unpleasantness with its very presence.

"What's so important about this thing anyway?" Mason asked, keeping her distance, weapon raised.

"Good question." Kelyrnea answered. "All I know is that both the Council and Charybdis want it...and I'd rather the Council have them than a bunch of space pirates."

"Fair enough." Mason said. "C'mon, let's get back to the ship."

"Not so fast..." A new, low voice interrupted. Before either Mason or Kelyrnea could react a biotic blast blew them to opposite sides of the warehouse. Mason's back hit the wall hard, knocking the wind out of her. She looked up to find that a new party had entered the warehouse: an pale blue asari wearing a noxious green jumpsuit, matching her snakelike eyes. The new asari grinned as she picked up the cylinder containing the artifact with both hands.

"Take her down!" Kelyrnea shouted from the other side of the warehouse, thrusting her arm forward and sending a warp attack at the assailant.

The assailant's eyes darted towards Kelyrnea and she activated a biotic shield, blocking the attack. Mason began firing her rifle, hoping to deplete the assailant's barrier, but it was futile as she biotically jumped out the open door with the artifact, making a run for it.

Kelyrnea ran up to Mason. "You alright?"

Mason barely opened her mouth before Kelyrnea said "Good. Now c'mon! We gotta get that artifact!" before dashing after the assailant, Mason in tow.

The assailant ran with the artifact under her arm, the other pointing her pistol at her pursuers. Kelyrnea threw biotic attacks while Mason fired her rifle. The assailant biotically jumped again, this time on top of a nearby residence. She kicked the antenna off the top of the house in an attempt to slow down her pursuers, to little effect as Kelyrnea knocked it away with her own biotics.

The assailant jumped from rooftop to rooftop, dodging the projectiles sent at her by her pursuers. They ran as fast as they could, but the assailant was far too nimble, swiftly dodging each attempt to hit her. The assailant even had the gall to smirk back at Kelyrnea and Mason as she dodged one of Kelyrnea's warps. They were not happy.

"Dammit!" Kelyrnea shouted. "This isn't working!"

"We need a different plan." Mason said, panting.

"You got any ideas!?" Kelyrnea asked. "I am open to suggestions!"

BLAM!

The assailant looked to her side to see a new projectile headed her way. She didn't have time to react before a glowing cyan projectile knocked her off her building and back onto the street.

"Well, how convenient." Kelyrnea commented.

Kelyrnea, Mason, and the assailant all looked forward to see a new face rounding the bend: a being none of them were expecting to see. It was a tall figure, easily over 6 feet with broad shoulders and a thin waist. It was red with a white skull-and-crossbones painted on its chest. Its most striking feature, however, was its head: a tube-like protrusion with three glowing lights pointing toward whatever it was looking at.

It was a geth, a Geth Prime unit to be exact, and it was aiming a rifle directly at the three organics before it. Mason and Kelyrnea trained their weapons on the Prime, weary of any movements the synthetic would make, but it stayed completely still save for the rotating of its optics.

* * *

Zemisze raised her head. Her entire body still tingled from the Siege Pulse she'd just taken, and she could barely move. A Geth Prime. Where in the Hell did that thing come from?

Her eyes darted to the Spectre and her human friend. They were paying attention to the Geth, and not her. That would give her a chance to escape.

She flexed her fingers. She was regaining control. Even in her awkward position she would be able to charge away.

It was then that the Spectre began walking toward her, ever so slowly, as if approaching an animal. She didn't want to spook the Geth, apparently.

The Window was there, still in its container, just out of arm's reach. That must have been what the Spectre was going for. Must of thought she was paralyzed. Boy, was she in for a surprise.

Quick as a flash, Zemisze charged at the Spectre and scooped up the window before taking off behind the human, biotically throwing her for good measure. She flipped to avoid another Siege Pulse from the Geth, nearly dropping the Window. Zemisze launched herself upwards with her biotics and grabbed onto the ledge of a roof once again. This time she wouldn't show off. This time she would focus solely on escaping.

She let her barriers recharge as she floated down to the other side of the building. She was done goofing off. It was time to get her paycheck.

BANG!

Zemisze's barriers shattered as a sniper bullet collided with it. She swiftly dashed into a nearby door, breaking it down. She leaned down, her hand on her knees. Was every street on this colony filled with people trying to make her life difficult!?

"There she is!" a voice shouted.

Of course. Zemisze projected a Backlash barrier at the door. In the doorway stood another human, this one male and dressed in maroon armor with the same skull-and-crossbones insignia she saw on the Geth emblazoned on his shoulder pad aiming an assult rifle at her. Behind him was a drell (his gloves giving him away) who was definitely fond of leather, seeing as it covered his entire body save his head, which was concealed by a ski mask and red goggles.

Who were these guys and what were they doing here? Such questions would have to wait though, as she had to escape somehow. She surveyed the room she was in. It looked like some sort of eatery, with tables and seats all throughout the room. A large pair of windows were on her right, leading to another street. She didn't catch where the sniper bullet had come from, so she couldn't be sure if her escape route was in the shooter's line of sight. There was a door behind her, either leading to another street or a kitchen. It was a fair distance away though, so she'd have to drop her barrier to make it. She could fight directly against her new pursuers, but that would mean running right back into the sniper's line of sight, and any sniper worth their salt would blow her head off the first chance they got. Her backlash was draining her energy, and her barriers wouldn't be able to handle another shot.

After weighing her options, Zemisze came to a decision. She charged into the windows, shattering them into piece, before taking off down the street. The Window suddenly seemed far heavier than it was originally. She found a corner and ducked behind it, finally getting a chance to catch her breath. She clutched the Window close and took a moment to actually look at it. What was so damned important about this thing anyways? Why was Charybdis willing to pay a fortune for this funny-looking marble? Whatever the reason, it was becoming a major pain.

"Where did she go?" the husky voice of a drell asked. Right on cue.

"This way!" The human called. Zemisze dashed off down the alley, allowing her barriers to recharge. She held her omni-tool to her mouth.

"Kraul! I've got the artifact!" she shouted. "Where's our evac?"

"Getting blown up by Alliance!" Kraul replied, obviously frustrated. "We need to get out of the town! Then we'll call for backup!"

"Damn." Zemisze said. "Things have really gone to shit, haven't they."

"The High Order won't be happy about this." Kraul said. "What's your location?"

Zemisze sent Kraul a navpoint. "Meet me. I've got assholes on my tail."

"Understood." Kraul growled.

* * *

"OK, if we're getting anywhere we need to figure out what sides we're on." Mason suggested, keeping rifle ready just in case. "You attacked the asari we were chasing. Why?"

The Geth's optics rotated as it seemingly considered the question. "She was Charybdis." It replied, its voice like a synthesized rockslide.

"So, you're against Charybdis, then?" Mason asked. "Well, so are we."

"Acknowledged." The Geth replied.

"What are you doing here?" Kelyrnea asked, cautiously lowering her shotgun.

"My Captain was contacted through his private channel." The Geth explained. "We were ordered to assist Alliance forces."

"We, as in you and others?" Kelyrnea asked.

"Yes." The Geth confirmed.

"So, they're's more of you?" Kelyrnea continued.

"That was implied by the use of 'we' when referring to us." The Geth said. "So, yes. There are more."

"Ok. A wise bot, then." Kelyrnea observed, her eyebrow raising.

"Looks like my message got through." Mason lowered her rifle.

"Huh?" Kelyrnea turned around. "You called them in?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, the Captain knows about it." Mason said. "In the meantime, we should meet up with the Geth's boss."

The Geth raised his rifle again. "Captain ordered not to reveal his location to anyone who could not complete this sentence:" it said. "'Life is a tale, told by an idiot...'"

"'Sound and fury, signifying nothing.'" Kelyrnea said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"That is not the correct answer." The Geth said, much to Kelyrnea's chagrin.

"'...An idiot with a sick sense of humor.'" Mason finished. The Geth's optics rotated and its face panels shifted as it processed the answer.

"Correct." The Geth said, lowering its rifle. "Greetings, Alexandra Mason."

"Wait, what!?" Kelyrnea asked.

"So you know me." Mason acknowledged. "Who are you?"

"This mobile platform I pilot is designated Dhar'Kil Prime-Unit 462." The Geth said. "Though my crewmates refer to me as 'Blaster.'"

"Well, Blaster." Mason said. "This is Kelyrnea. Special Tactics and Recon. She's helping us out."

"First off, you're helping me, not the other way around." Kelyrnea said. "Second, SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING!" she shouted.

Blaster's Omni-Tool blinked, prompting it to open it. "Blaster speaking." it said.

"We found the artifact!" a male voice shouted over the omni-tool. "It's in the hands of Charybdis! We've got her on the run! Sending navpoint! Get your aft down here!"

"Understood." Blaster replied, closing its tool. "My Captain needs me. Would you like to come along?"

"Sounds good." Mason agreed. "Let's go."

Kelyrnea just looked on with an incredulous expression as the human and geth ran off. She sighed. "When this is over, I'm getting answers!" she said to no-one in particular as she ran after them.

* * *

BLAST! BLAST! SHOOOOOOM...

A trio of Alliance soldiers fell to the floor as the intimidating form of Master Kraul blasted them away with his shotgun and biotics. The whole op had been a true pain in his tail, and a thorn in the side of Charybdis.

But the fact remained: if they got the Window to the Grandmaster then they would be one step closer to their ultimate goal. It was invaluable. Kraul wouldn't lose it. Not without losing all his remaining organs first. If that cursed asari didn't show up he would tear her limb from limb to get her precious cargo.

Now the Alliance forces were advancing, and Charybdis was losing even more ground. They would be doomed without help...drastic help.

Kraul's thoughts were interrupted by a bright blue flash of light. Zemisze had arrived, at last.

"Here...as promised." Zemisze handed the Window to Kraul, visibly tired and panting.

Kraul yanked the container from the asari, allowing her to bend over, clutching her knees. Kraul gazed into the shifting insides of the Window, watching the sea-green aura with fixated interest.

"Finally...we have it." Kraul said to himself, moving to open the container.

"...Y'know...that thing sure is trouble." Zemisze commented. "What's so special about it, anyways?"

"They are Windows..." Kraul said, uncapping the artifact's cylindrical prison. "The Precursors' only way to see the outside world," The giant sphere slowly rolled out of the container, falling into Kraul's open hand. "...as well as interact with it."

"...Sure." Zemisze said, skeptical but not caring enough to press farther. So long as she was getting paid.

Kraul dropped the container and held the Window with both hands, staring into it even longer. "Our forces are being decimated." Kraul said. "If we don't fight back then we may never get off this planet."

"So, what are we going to do?" Zemisze asked.

Kraul was silent for a few seconds, before he answered in a tone that oozed of dread, and anything that made a krogan dread was something worth fearing. "We have to call upon the power of the Precursors..." he said.

* * *

Mason, Blaster, and Kelyrnea had arrived at the navpoint specified by the enigmatic captain. Or, at least he was enigmatic to Kelyrnea. She was the Spectre and yet she was the only one out of the loop here. That was something she simply couldn't stand, and if she didn't get answers soon she was going to explode.

Thankfully, it seemed that answers were literally right around the corner as the group was stopped by an armored human male and a drell that must have been inspired by old human biker gangs.

"So, are we coming across more people you know that I don't?" Kelyrnea asked.

The human just looked at the Spectre before turning to Mason. The two just looked at each other for a moment in silence.

"Life is a tale, told by an idiot." Mason said.

"An idiot with a sick sense of humor." The new human answered. "Nice to see you again, Alex." The man removed his helmet, revealing his face to all. Kelyrnea always thought that humans looked similar, but she could tell that the Mason and the new guy were closely related. He had the same pale blonde hair, white skin, and light blue eyes, the main obvious difference between the two being their genders (genders or sexes? Humans were so weird) and the large scar trailing down the male's left cheek.

"It's been a while, 'Captain'." Mason greeted the new human like an old friend. "It's good to see you too." Mason holstered her weapon and embraced the human, him returning the gesture.

"Uh..." Kelyrnea said.

"What's going on?" The drell asked.

The two humans broke their hug and turned to their respective teammates. "Sorry." the two said at the same time.

"Kelyrnea, this is Xander. He's my brother." Alex Mason explained. "I called him in for extra help. Xander, this is Kelyrnea. She's a Spectre. We're helping her."

"Well, it's good to know we have a reason for being here." Xander joked, turning to his drell companion. "Sotsam, this is Alex. She's the one who called us here. Alex, this is Sotsam Reas, my crew member."

"Nice to meet you, Reas." Alex nodded.

"Likewise...I think." Sotsam said, his tone uncertain.

"You feel lost too?" Kelyrnea asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Sotsam replied.

"Captain Mason." Blaster interrupted. "We must move forward to retrieve the artifact."

"I hear you, Blast." Xander replied, re-equipping his helmet. "Just catching up."

"Right." Alex said. "Let's get moving. Where to?"

Xander opened his omni-tool. "The Charybdis dropship is about 3 blocks north. Your Alliance forces and Asari Commandos are closing in and Charybdis is getting desperate."

"So that's where we're headed." Alex said. "C'mon, let's move." she ordered before rushing off, followed by Xander and Blaster.

"Have we forgotten who the Spectre is here?" Kelyrnea asked.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Sotsam quipped before following his Captain.

"...Apparently so." Kelyrnea answered herself before following along, grumbling.

* * *

"This is it..." Kraul stated. "It's time." he held up the Window to the sky. "Precursors!" he shouted "Oh, great Masters! Lend me your power to smite your enemies!"

Zemisze looked on in confusion and mild amusement. She didn't expect anything to happen, loading her weapons for a fight. That was when the light around the Window seemed to dim, as if it was somehow absorbed by the odd sphere.

Kraul began shaking as he dropped the Window, a constant shuddering uncommon in Krogan. It was making Zemisze uncomfortable. She was about to step closer to her colleague, but was thrown back by an unseen force. It wasn't biotics. It was something...different. As soon as the invisible blast hit her a chill ran through her body, as if she had just been transported to the coldest place in the galaxy for just a moment.

Kraul had finally stopped shaking, instead staring directly at the ground. He was completely still, as if waiting for something.

"...Kraul?" Zemisze called, standing up again. "You OK?"

"Silence." Kraul replied, but it wasn't Kraul anymore. The voice emerging from the krogan was as deep as a Yahg's, and sounded as if it was being spoken by several speakers at once. "Move the Window to the transport ship. I will exterminate the vermin."

Zemisze was taken aback by Kraul's new demeanor. She certainly didn't feel like arguing with...whatever had taken control of the krogan so she grabbed the Window and dashed off.

"Nira, you copy?" Xander shouted over his radio.

"I read you, Captain." Nira responded.

"We have Charybdis cornered at their dropship. I need you to provide us with cover fire." he ordered.

"I got your navpoint." She said. "On my way now."

"Another crew member of yours?" Alex asked.

"One of my most trusted." Xander said. "She'll have our backs."

"I sure hope so." Kelyrnea said. "Looks like the dropship's getting crowded."

Sure enough, the Charybdis dropship was surrounded by black-uniformed soldiers of varying species firing wildly at the advancing enemy forces. It looked like a massive, deadly game of King of the Hill.

"The artifact must be on board." Mason stated. "We need to get on somehow!"

"Don't you Alliance have a tank or something you could use?" Sotsam inquired.

"That's being used to defend the civilians." Mason answered.

"...wait, seriously?" Sotsam said. "You brought a tank!?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" Mason said.

"Did you expect there to be a massive skirmish on this planet?" Sotsam asked.

"No." Mason said. "You just never know when you might need a tank."

"That's Alliance for you." Xander said. "No kill like overkill."

"Well, when it works..." Mason trailed off.

"Ahem." Kelyrnea interrupted. "Massive crowd?" she gestured to the battle before them.

"Right. Crowd." Xander said, putting a hand on the side of his helmet. "Nira?"

"I'm here." Nira replied. "Give me a target."

"Any Charybdis troops would be fine." Xander said.

"Aye aye." Nira replied.

BANG!

A Charybdis sniper's head was blown to bits by another sniper's bullet.

"Alright, people." Xander said, pulling out an assault rifle. "Open fire!"

So they did, spraying bullets and biotics into the crowd. The Mason twins combined their biotic abilities to create massive explosions, creating chaos and disorder in the enemy ranks. Kelyrnea sent troopers flying about with her singularities and lift attacks. Sotsam launched a series of cluster grenades into the fray as he sprayed his SMG into the crowd. Blaster's heavy rifles launched high-caliber slugs into the crowd, in addition to Siege Pulses and tech explosions.

Unfortunately, the constant gunfire was interrupted by an invisible force. It was a force powerful enough to send an entire squad of soldiers, both Charybdis and not, flying several feet away from the dropship. A krogan in black armor, similar to that of all other Charybdis troops, was not walking, but floating away from the dropship. His arms were outstretched as the invisible force carried him forward. It was then that he began to speak.

"MORTALS." The rumbling, baritone voice of an angry God burst forward from the floating krogan. "YOU ARE IN THE WAY OF DESTINY."

* * *

THOK!

Miriar's fist collided with the spy's face once again, sending her to the floor.

"You done?" The Captain asked.

"For now." Miriar said, shaking off her fist. "This bitch betrayed us. She deserves more than I could dish out in a day."

"Damn right." Monty agreed, standing off to the side, observing the spy's beatdown.

Feiyad wrung his hands together, eyes shifting everywhere, lingering on the Captain and the unmoving body of Flight Lieutenant Lowe. "I never wanted this, by the way." he said. "I-I was down on my luck a-and I knew how to shoot a gun so..."

"Stop talking." The Captain demanded.

"Yes, sir." Feiyad said, promptly shutting up.

Delpratt's omni-tool buzzed. "Captain. Incoming transmission." she said, silently thankful for the interruption.

The Captain's omni-tool buzzed to life a second later. "Hmm." he said.

"I got an alert too." Miriar said. All omni-tools opened to reveal a frightening message.

"Capta-they've go-invis-need help!"

"Comma-kroga-some kind of pow-requesting back-UNNHH!"

The room fell silent as the messages ended. No-one made a move, until the Captain spoke their thoughts.

"Arm yourselves." He said. "We're moving out."

"Well, this has taken a turn for the worse." Xander acknowledged as another soldier flew past his hiding place.

"So Charybdis has telekinetic powers now?" Sotsam asked. "If so, then we're screwed."

"I called for backup." Alex shouted. "I asked for the tank. It should help."

"If it doesn't, then we're screwed." Sotsam called.

"Is there any situation where we aren't screwed?" Kelyrnea shouted.

"Any situation where the krogan dies." Sotsam shouted back.

"IT IS POINTLESS TO RESIST." The krogan said, monotonously yet loud enough to be heard.

"Nira!" Xander shouted. "Do you have a visual on the krogan?!"

"There's too much chaos!" Nira yelled back. "I can't get a clear shot!"

"Well, find one!" Xander ordered. "Before he notices you!"

"What about us!?" Kelyrnea shouted.

"And us!" Xander continued. "...Nira? Nira, are you there!?"

"Nira'Vael! What is your status?" Blaster commanded.

"Well, there she goes." Sotsam deadpanned.

"Don't talk like that, Reas!" Xander demanded. "She's fine!"

BANG!

A great roar erupted from the krogan. Xander looked from his hiding place to see the krogan clutching his right eye.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Three more bullets were fired, sending the krogan to the ground. He stopped moving, and the remaining soldiers breathed sighs of relief.

Xander smiled. "That's my girl." he whispered. "Good work, Nira!" he shouted.

"Just doing my job." she replied.

"Well, that's a crisis avoided." Alex commented, getting up from her hiding spot.

"So, nobody's going to talk about the fact that they had a telekinetic krogan that wasn't biotic?!" Kelyrnea asked.

"We're gonna have to." Alex said, walking toward the krogan. "What happened to this guy?"

"I wasn't aware that we'd discovered magic recently." Sotsam snarked.

"Not the time, Reas." Xander said.

Alex frowned, leaning down to investigate the unmoving krogan. He'd taken down an army using just his mind a moment ago, and a few sniper bullets were all it took to take him down. She didn't buy it.

"Nira? Good work." Xander spoke over his radio. "Regroup. You know where we are."

"Aye aye, captain." Nira replied, a grin in her voice.

"All right, people." Kelyrnea announced. "We better search the dropship to find the artifact."

"And who put you in charge?" Sotsam asked, venom in his voice.

"The Council did when they assigned me here!" Kelyrnea spat back.

"Settle down, Sotsam." Xander ordered. "We should probably search the ship."

"Aye aye, captain." Sotsam replied without missing a beat, causing Kelyrnea to look on in confusion.

Xander and Sotsam walked up to the dropship followed closely by Blaster. Kelyrnea followed as well, hoping to accomplish her mission before a bunch of strangers beat her to it.

"Lieutenant, you coming?" Kelyrnea shouted to Alex.

Alex furrowed her brow, ignoring the Spectre's shout. Just being near the krogan sent a chill down her spine. His eyes were still glowing green. It was a pale, sickly color. It was uncomfrtable to look at, and yet Alex couldn't bear to look away. It was hypnotizing, in a strange way.

"Lieutenant!" Kelyrnea shouted.

Mason looked away for a single moment. That was all it took for the krogan to reawaken.

Mason felt an indescribable force grasp her neck, blocking her windpipe as she was lifted into the air. The krogan had gotten back up, holding its hand out as if it was grasping her throat itself.

Xander dashed out the dropship. "Alex!" he shouted, firing his rifle at the krogan to little avail.

BANG!

The krogan turned his head to the side. A quarian woman was slowly advancing on him, firing a large sniper rifle periodically. The shots were powerful, but the krogan wouldn't make the same mistake again. With a flick of the hand, the quarian was sent flying back into a wall, knocking the wind out of her. He then turned back to Alex, staring deep into her eyes.

"FOOLISH HUMAN." The krogan rumbled. "WE ARE LEAGUES ABOVE YOUR KIND. LET THIS BE AN EXAMPLE."

The pressure on Alex's throat began to increase. The krogan's grip never subsided even as bullets were fired at him in force by Alex's companions. Her world began to turn black, pierced only by the bright green of the krogan's eyes.

"YOUR FIGHT IS FUTILE. THE WINDOW WILL BE RETURNED TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS." The krogan shouted in its' monotonous way. "YOUR INSIGNIFICANCE WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL. WE SHALL RISE AND TAKE BACK WHAT IS OURS. YOU WILL KNEEL BEFORE US. YOU WILL-"

BOOM!

The krogan's speech was interrupted by a well-timed rocket exploding in his face, sending both the krogan and Alex flying in opposite directions.

The Alliance soldier giggled as he hugged his rocket launcher, finally getting to blow something up.

"You idiot!" Monty yelled at the rocketeer. "You just blew up the Lieutenant!"

The rocketeer's giggling immediately ceased, as he realized what he might have just done.

"She's ok!" Xander called, kneeling over his unconscious sister. "The blast must've been absorbed by her shields."

The rocketeer breathed a sigh of relief.

"You got lucky, mate." Monty said as he proceeded to check on Alex, followed by the squadron brought alongside by the Captain.

BANG!

The quarian blew a hole in the krogan's head with her rifle.

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

"You OK, Nira?" Sotsam said as he approached her.

"Just making sure he's dead this time." the quarian replied. The krogan's eyes had stopped glowing. It was dead at last.

"How's Xander's sister doing?" she asked.

"Let's go see." Sotsam suggested. The two approached their captain. He stood guard over Alex, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"How's she doing?" Nira asked.

"She's alive. That's what matters." Xander replied, removing his helmet.

"I should have made sure he was dead." Nira said, looking away and smacking her mask. "Stupid."

"Hey." Xander grabbed Nira's attention. "You couldn't have known. Not even a krogan could have taken that many shots under normal circumstances."

"Still..." Nira looked away.

"In any case, it's dead now." The Captain made his way toward his Lieutenant. "Before it could kill my best operative...how is she?"

"She's unconscious, but alive." Xander said. "The thing somehow managed to grab her through her shields."

"So it wasn't biotics, then." The Captain observed.

"'Fraid not." Xander said. "It's something else."

"Hmm." The Captain hmmed. "Chief, take her back to the ship. Get her to the medbay."

"Aye, sir." Monty agreed, picking the unconscious Alex up bridal style before carrying her off. Xander started to follow, but was stopped as the Captain held up his hand.

"You're not entering my ship." The Captain said. "Not until we've had a talk."

"She's my sister." Xander protested.

"And my lieutenant. One of my best operatives." The Captain said. "I trust her judgement, but I want to make things clear." he leaned in close to Xander, making sure he was clear. "On my ship, we follow my rules. If you hurt my crew, in any way, shape or form, I will personally throw you out the airlock. We clear, Alexander Mason?"

Xander's jaw tightened as he was called by his full name. "Crystal." he said.

"Good." The Captain said, straightening his back again.

"Captain." Kelyrnea walked up to the man she was addressing. "We checked the dropship. No sign of the artifact."

"Well, then where is it?" he asked.

The Captain's answer came in the form of a Charybdis fighter blasting past and jetting off into space.

"That can't be good." Xander summed up the feelings of everyone around him.

* * *

Zemisze approached the Mass Relay, plotting her course back to Charybdis' base. The Nefrane mission was a disaster, but she got the artifact in the end. That meant getting paid. That was a victory in her book.

She glanced at the green sphere, fastened into the unmanned gunner seat of the fighter. She didn't know what it was about that Window, but it disturbed her greatly.

She'd be happy to hand it off to the Grandmaster, and even happier to take all the credit for the op, seeing as all her colleagues were dead. Yes, this mission was a success indeed...


	3. Chapter 3

Cold. That was what overwhelmed Alex Mason's senses. The icy cold complimented the inky blackness all around her. It was a perfect land of nothing. Everywhere she turned she saw more of the same. She couldn't move. She could barely breathe. Was this what death felt like?

Just then, she felt a presence behind her. A massive presence. A powerful presence.

He heard breathing. She felt vibrations. She could feel the raw power of the presence coursing through every cell in her body. What it was, she couldn't be sure...but she was scared.

A vibration rattled Alex's bones. Her body seemed to creek with the sensation. Her head slowly began to turn, but just barely...but before she could witness the monstrosity behind her.

"...son, Mason! You OK?" A familiar, comforting voice filled Mason's ears. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out a few things. The stagnant white light above her head, the beeping of nearby machinery, and the faces of humans looking down upon her. She was on the ship's medbay, her least favourite place on the ship.

"Mason?" The tanned, raven-haired face above her repeated. A pair of brown eyes stared into her own, full on concern and hope. It was a face of familiarity. A face she knew well. "You ok, luv?"

"Monty?" Mason whispered as her vision cleared.

"Yeah, that's it." he said, smiling. "You alright?"

Mason grunted as she stretched her limbs as best she within the confines of her medbay bed. "I guess so." she answered. "Considering." She rubbed her neck. "What happened out there?"

Monty sighed. "The krogan or...whatever that thing was had you in its' grasp." he explained. "We're just lucky we got there in time. Who knows what would have happened."

"Aww." Mason said, smiling. "You do care."

Monty chuckled. "Maybe I do." he said, before turning his head. "Hey, Doc! She's awake!"

Mason looked toward her feet, spying another man making his way toward her. The new man wore a sterile while jacket over a similarly white Alliance medical uniform. "How are we feeling?" he asked.

"Well, I'm all right." Mason said.

"Considering." Monty chimed in, causing Mason to grin.

The doctor took out his datapad and typed up his report. "OK, now that that's been established I have no guilt in saying what the hell happened down there!?" he said.

"We're still trying to figure that out." Monty said.

"I got strangled by a krogan with telekinetic powers." Mason said, rubbing her neck again.

"So I heard." The doctor said. "I didn't believe it, but when it's the Captain telling you something you don't really question it."

"Well, I can tell you firsthand that it's real." Mason said. "It was being possessed by...something."

"Telekinetic powers, demonic possession..." The doctor continued typing on his datapad. "Let me know when we find the unicorns and leprechauns."

"Ha ha ha." Monty faked laughing.

With that, the door to the medbay slid open. "Doctor Thater?" The Captain walked through the doorway, hands behind his back. "How is the Lieutenant?"

"Is my sister OK?" Xander Mason pushed past the Captain.

Doctor Thater raised an eyebrow at the disrespect on display before him, but responded. "She's fine. Just some bruises on the neck. Nothing some medi-gel couldn't fix."

Xander sighed with relief, going up to his sister's bed. "How you doin', Alex?" he asked.

Alex sighed in mock despair. "I don't know if I'll be able to walk again, Xander." she said. "I might be confined to this bed for the rest of my life." she spoke in a voice reminiscent of a little girl.

"Shut up." Xander shoved her shoulder. "I was worried about you."

"I'm a soldier." She replied, smiling. "I can take a bit of punishment."

"That she can." Doctor Thater confirmed. "But she hasn't died yet...not for lack of trying." he mumbled.

"If it weren't for us, you'd be out of work, Mark." Monty added. Doctor Thater just smirked.

The Captain shook his head, a grim expression on his old features. "There's still the issue of the artifact we lost." he said.

"Yeah, what was the deal with that thing?" Xander asked. "Why does the Council want it so bad?"

"That's classified information." The Captain replied. "Something hired help doesn't need to know."

"Excuse me?" Xander asked, mildly offended.

"Sir." Alex spoke up. "With all due respect, Xander and his crew were a vital part of the op." she said. "I think they've seen enough to know the details."

"I'm not trusting mercenaries with highly sensitive Council matters." The Captain said, shooting a glare at both of the Mason twins.

"Hey, listen!" Xander demanded without an ounce of fear. "I was called here to help with an important mission, and I'm not leaving without knowing why!"

"You were called because we needed help." The Captain said. "There you go. You can leave now."

Xander crossed his arms. "I'm going to figure out what happened sooner or later." he said. "Besides, my crew can provide testimony about what exactly we encountered."

The Captain's eyes narrowed as his gaze bore into the man before him.

"You're not exactly familiar with what we encountered back there, are you?" Xander continued. "I doubt the Council is either."

The Captain remained silent for a brief moment, simply staring at Xander through narrowed eyes. Xander stared back without a trace of fear, sensing nothing but irritation from the old man. Alex and Monty looked upon the scene in anticipation, waiting for who would speak next while Dr. Thater tried to ignore them, burying himself in his datapad.

"...No." The Captain finally answered. "You'll tell the Council what you know. Then you're off my ship." Without waiting for a reply, the Captain turned around and strode out of the room.

"Asshole." Xander said to no-one in particular. He was met with blank stares from everyone else in the room. "What?" he asked. "We were all thinking it."

"Lena records everything on the ship, mate." Monty informed him. "Captain's not gonna be happy when he hears that."

"Who?" Xander asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The ship's VI." Alex explained. "Standard DI model."

"Defense Intelligence. Got it." Xander said. "Well, I'll be off the ship soon anyway so I guess it doesn't matter."

"How sad." Dr. Thater chimed in, sarcastically. Xander glanced at him.

"Hey, doc?" Alex called, gaining Thater's attention. "Can we have a moment of privacy? I'd like to talk to Xander..." she looked at Monty. "...alone."

Monty returned Alex's gaze, the request coming through clear as day. "Well, I should probably go check on Lena. Make sure she doesn't crash us into an asteroid." he said, backing up from the bed. "See ya." he finished, opening the door.

Alex's brows furrowed. "What?" she asked.

Monty's face fell. "I'll explain later." he said quietly, leaving the room.

Dr. Thater simply nodded and retreated into his office, leaving the Mason twins alone.

Xander looked at his sister, a silly grin coming over his face. "So, you got me alone." he said. "What juicy secrets about your crew do you have for me?"

Alex's face remained deadly serious. "Don't talk about the Captain that way." she said.

Xander's brow furrowed. "Why?" he asked. "He's just a military hardass, same as-"

"Xander." Alex interrupted. "Just listen to me. Please."

Xander stopped talking, and simply leaned over the side of the bed, listening intently.

"Captain Tsu might be hard on you, but you have to understand something." She began. "I trust him...He's one of the only people I've ever told about my connection with you."

Xander's eyebrows raised.

"He's been there for me ever since I joined the crew of this ship." Alex said, glancing at the foot of the bed. "He's tough, but he's fair. He's strict. Old fashioned..." She looked back at her brother. "He hates deserters more than anything." she finished.

Xander stood up straight. "Then why did you tell him about me?" he asked, incredulous.

"I felt like I had to." Alex replied. "The only way to let him know I was loyal was to get all the cards out on the table." she sat up in her bed. "Besides, I never thought you two would be meeting anytime soon."

Xander looked away, leaning on the bed frame again. "What did you tell him?" he asked.

"The truth." Alex answered.

"The actual truth?" Xander asked. "Not the Alliance Report truth?"

"Yes." Alex said, nodding. "Did you think I would lie to him about you?"

"I don't know." Xander said, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "You seem to really like this guy. Maybe you just told him what he wanted to hear."

"He's not stupid, Xander." Alex asserted. "He knows how to handle the real story."

"Well, you know how Alliance brass can be." Xander said. "But I trust you. If you trust him, than I can too." he stood up straight.

"Thank you." Alex said gratefully, smiling. "It means a lot."

"Yeah, well...you owe me." Xander said, smirking.

"No, I don't." Alex replied playfully, getting out of bed.

"You're making me actually show respect to someone." Xander said. "That's a big ask, girl." he continued, holding his hands out to express the scope of Alex's request.

"Oh no!" Alex sarcastically said. "How terrible!"

"Yeah!" Xander expressed. "It's atrocious!"

"Don't wait for my permission to get out of bed, Lieutenant." A familiar voice said over the loudspeaker. "I'm just the doctor." Thater spitefully told Alex.

"Sorry, Doc!" Alex called out.

"Lieutenant Mason. Captain Tsu wishes to speak with you in his cabin." The soft voice of Lena rang through the room. "He wants you to bring your brother as well."

"Thanks, Lena." Alex said, looking at the ceiling. "C'mon, Xander. Let's not keep him waiting." she requested before walking out the door, Xander in tow.

"Lieutenant Mason reporting for duty, sir." Alex announced, waking into The Captain's cabin and saluting. "Xander is here as well."

"Hi." Xander greeted. "What's this about?"

The Captain sat on the foot of his bed, a datapad in his hand. He looked at his visitors before placing the pad behind him. "First of all, I'd like to say that I'm glad you're OK, Lieutenant." he began.

"Thank you, sir." Alex said, nodding.

"It wasn't our finest moment, but we survived." The Captain continued, before looking down sorrowfully. "Most of us."

Alex's face fell. "Captain?" she asked. "What happened?"

The Captain exhaled. "Lowe didn't make it." he said. "A spy shot him dead after our informant arrived."

Alex's face remained stoic, but she shifted her weight slightly. "I see." she replied solemnly. "He was a good pilot. He'll be missed."

"Yeah." The Captain agreed grimly. "We'll be shipping his body to his family when we get to the Citadel. We'll make sure he gets a proper service."

"Good." Alex said, nodding. "Is that what you wanted to discuss, sir?"

"No." The Captain answered, standing up. "I wanted to talk with you both." he looked at both of the twins. "About our new passengers."

"You mean my crew?" Xander asked, crossing his arms.

"Right." The Captain confirmed, pressing some keys on his datapad, bringing his desktop computer to life. He and the twins gathered around the holographic monitor, observing the images shown.

The computer showed what appeared to be security camera footage of a relaxation lounge of sorts, with a pair of couches flanking a long table supporting several glasses atop it. Several chairs could be seen around the room, some occupied and some not. A video monitor was clearly present on a far wall, with yet another couch facing it. A pair of Alliance soldiers stood at the door holding rifles, clearly alert and ready for combat.

The room was occupied by a diverse group of individuals, most of which were encountered on Nefrane. On one couch sat a drell toying with a small object in his right hand, with his left arm draped over the back of the couch and his right leg crossed over his left. The drell's scales were dark green and his eyes were as black as his attire. Closer inspection revealed a set of small metal piercings lining his fringe.

"That how Sotsam looks with his mask off?" Alex asked.

"Yup." Xander confirmed. "Found him trying to join the Blue Suns. It didn't work out so well for him, so we took him in instead." he shook his head. "Poor guy nearly got killed during their stupid 'initiation test'."

Alex looked beside Sotsam. "Who's the quarian?" she asked.

Beside the drell sat the quarian woman who sniped the possessed krogan. She wore what appeared to be a modified version of the traditional quarian bodysuit. Most of the suit was familiar, with the opaque mask and colorful green headdress. Her bright pink arms and midriff, however, were openly visible. It was a popular fashion trend with quarians to purchase suits with see-through materials, if only because it went against old traditions.

"Nira'Vael vas Renegade." Xander introduced. "My most trusted lieutenant."

"Lieutenant?" The Captain asked, skeptically.

"Well, we don't have official rankings on my ship." Xander admitted. "Some days she's a lieutenant, some days she's a commander, some days she's my first mate." he shrugged. "And some days she's just Nira: the girl I know I can trust with anything." he continued, wistfully.

Alex grinned at her brother's tone, happy he felt that way about someone. It was a feeling one only experienced a few times in their life...

"What's the deal with the geth?" The Captain inquired, pointing to Blaster standing in the corner, eyeing the guards at the door. He was likely the reason they were so alert.

"We found Blaster wandering around a quarry on Rannoch." Xander explained. "He was broken down, barely functioning. We hauled him onto the ship and fixed him up, and he's been with us ever since."

"He was alone?" The Captain asked, mildly confused.

"Yeah. It weirded us out just the same." Xander agreed. "We tried asking him about it, but whenever we try he just stays silent."

"Hmm." The Captain said, not pressing the matter further.

"I don't recognize the human girl." Alex pointed to a figure sitting on a chair and staring out the massive window into space.

"That's Tina." Xander informed. "Tina Margot. She's our pilot, Alliance flight school dropout...I think. It's hard to separate what she's sincere about and what she's being sarcastic about." he said, scratching his head.

Upon closer inspection of Tina both Alex and the Captain decided that they weren't looking forward to meeting her. Half of her head was shaven, and the other half had hair draped over the side of her head, and what made it even more ridiculous was the color: a bright fluorescent red that did not occur naturally in humans.

The girl spun around in her chair, crossing her legs. Seeing her face, they found out she was wearing glasses. Nobody wore prescription glasses during those days. Gene therapy and cybernetic contact lenses made them obsolete. It was a fashion trend, as there usually were no actual lenses in them.

"So...what's with the...everything on Tina?" Alex asked, gesturing to the entire screen.

Xander chuckled. "You tell me." he said. "She's a puzzle, that girl. She just wandered onto the ship after we met her and declared herself our pilot."

"Who was your pilot before?" The Captain asked.

"Me." Xander answered. "I'm OK, but she can make anything with thrusters dance in the air."

"She the one who took out the Charybdis fighters on Nefrane?" The Captain asked.

"Yeah, that was her." Xander confirmed.

"Hmm." The Captain hmmed.

"Speaking of which, where is your ship?" Alex asked.

Xander stayed silent, his eyes closing as he exhaled out his nose. The Captain's bushy eyebrows raised slightly.

"You gonna tell her?" The Captain asked Xander, a grin in his tone.

Xander sighed. "We're being towed behind the Shambhala." he admitted.

"...Seriously?" Alex inquired.

The Captain activated his omni-tool and the monitor changed to show an image from the point of view of the back of the ship. Attached to the hull of the Shambhala by a great number of tow cables was a black-and-red freighter covered in brown dots to make it appear rusty. It appeared to be dragging behind the Shambhala like a giant trailer.

"...Wow." Alex said, staring at the screen. Xander looked away in embarrassment while the Captain smirked internally. "I didn't even know we had tow cables."

"We don't." The Captain said. "Borrowed them off the asari. Least they could do after we helped them out."

"Yeah, apparently Cappy here didn't trust us to fly our own ship without shooting you down." Xander sighed. "The Renegade was meant to fly, not be towed like I forgot to pay a parking ticket."

"It's only temporary, kid." The Captain said. "You can have it back after you explain what happened to the Council."

Alex chuckled. "Don't be like that." she said. "How would you react if the Shambhala ended up getting towed?" her grin vanished as she coughed. "Sir." she quickly added.

The Captain's face softened. "Yeah, I'd probably not take it lightly." he admitted. "When you're given control of a ship, you devote yourself to it."

"Amen to that." Xander agreed, smiling. "Anyhow, is there anything else you needed from us, Captain?"

"Yes." The Captain said, activating the screen again. It shifted back to the relaxation lounge, showing the familiar form of Kelyrnea speaking to a crew member while the salarian informant sat in a chair in the corner, his hands clasped together.

"Our informant will also be relaying what he knows about Charybdis." The Captain explained. "The Spectre will be vouching for him."

"Good." Alex said. "We're still in the dark about these guys."

"Eeyup." Xander agreed. "So...was that it?"

"Yes it was." The Captain confirmed. "Dismissed."

Alex stood up straight and saluted while Xander saluted far more casually, the two swiftly exiting the room. Once the twins had left the Captain returned to his datapad, sitting on his bed once more. He pulled up the Chrybdis insignia, running it past known gang symbols from across the Galaxy, trying to find any similarities. Cerberus, Omega, Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack, Heretics, Third Order, Church of the Machination, Clan Gatatog, CAT6, Angels of the Void...no such luck.

This group came directly out of left field, it would seem. They had no apparent connection to any other known criminal organization. No known associates. No trace of existence outside of a few pictures.

The Captain deactivated his datapad and set it down. He stared forward, seemingly at nothing. The mysterious organization, the disturbing artifact, the impossible krogan...it was unlike anything he'd encountered before...and he'd encountered a lot in his day.

The retrieval mission was over, but he had a feeling that their true mission was only just beginning.

"Approaching Armali Relay." Lena's synthesized voice rang over the ship. "Brace for FTL jump."

The Shambhala zoomed through the nebula, heading for the immense, glowing structure floating in space. The ship pulled alongside the Mass Relay, the element zero core lighting it ablaze with crackling blue energy. Before anyone knew it, the ship was launched out of the relay like a bullet.

 _SHOOM..._

The cockpit was alight with the glow of a thousand stars being passed at once as Shambhala rocketed through the cosmos at breakneck speeds, everyone on board thankful for the inertia dampeners preventing them from being thrown about. The usual tingling in the stomach accompanying the jump was felt my everyone that could feel it. Not even the most advanced technology could stop the gut feeling of traveling light-years in seconds.

As quickly as they had entered FTL they exited, the galaxy reappearing in its' normal state outside the windows. However, instead of the emptiness of the middle of nowhere, the Shambhala has re-emerged in a great purple haze of stardust. If one didn't know where they were going they would likely get lost in the massive mess of obscuring space. But if they did know where to go they would come across the center of galactic civilization.

The Citadel: the truly gigantic space station floating in the center of the Serpent Nebula. The Shambhala jetted through the stardust and into the station's presence, joining thousands of spaceships of every make and model imaginable, from sleek and elegant asari cruisers to grey and boxlike krogan freighters. The Citadel was the biggest, busiest, and safest place in the Milky Way, its' arms jutting out like the iron talons of a massive claw, ready to close at a moment's notice, repelling any that may wish to harm its' people. The Shambhala navigated around the space traffic as the voice of an operator sounded over the radio.

"Shambhala, this is Citadel control. Do you copy?" it said.

"Roger, Citadel control." The Captain answered. "This is SSV Shambhala requesting a landing."

There was silence for a moment before Citadel control replied. "Roger, Shambhala. You're clear to dock. An escort will be by to take you to the Council." it said, giving the Captain the docking bay they were to go to.

"Wow." Xander stared out the window of the cockpit, taking in the majesty of the Citadel. "I've never seen it this close before."

"Yeah." Monty agreed. "The Extranet pics can never prepare ya for the real thing."

"You've never been to the Citadel before?" Alex asked.

"Never." Nira answered. "It's a bit above our price range."

"Well, take advantage of this opportunity." The Captain suggested.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Xander asked, slightly perturbed.

"Yeah." the Captain confirmed. "It means that not many people get to stay on the Citadel for long." he said, knowing exactly what Xander thought he meant.

Xander just grunted.

Nira shook her head. "I remember my mom telling me about the days when the Migrant Fleet wasn't allowed anywhere near the Citadel." she reminisced. She stared out the cockpit, spotting a noticeably large quarian freighter. "We've come a long way since then."

"Not far enough to have a seat on the Council, though." Xander chimed in, sounding somewhat bitter.

Nira chuckled. "This again?" she asked, amused.

"I'm just saying." Xander said. "The quarians had the biggest fleet in the galaxy by the time the Reapers rolled around, and they nearly faced extinction trying to take back their homeworld. I think they deserve a bit more than they got after the war."

Nira shook her head. "Is there a reason you always bring this up around me?" she asked. "You're aware that I don't give a shit, right?"

"Well, when we're talking about quarian history I have to voice my opinions." Xander replied with an exaggerated shrug. "That's just how I work."

"Uh-huh." Nira said, a grin in her voice. "You're lucky you're cute." she finished.

The Shambhala had entered the arms of the Citadel, the bright lights of every building illuminating the ship from all angles, allowing those in the relaxation lounge a clear view of the massive structure.

"Hey, check it out!" Sotsam gazed out the window alongside his crewmates. "You don't get a view like this every day."

"Mm-hmm." Tina pursed her lips, taking in the sights. "It is pretty spectacular."

Sotsam waited, expectant.

"Almost makes you forget about all the aliens that suffered because of decisions made here." she finished.

Sotsam grinned. "There she is." he said playfully.

"You must be fun at parties." Kelyrnea commented, unfazed by the familiar view of the Citadel.

"Oh, I can be fun in the right company." Tina replied. "And no, I'm not coming onto you."

"Well, there's a relief." Kelyrnea said. "I think I threw up in my mouth a bit there."

"Me too, blue." Tina agreed. "Me too..."

"Careful." Sotsam warned. "She's not too fond of asari or Spectres, and you fall into both categories."

"It's not that I don't trust authority." Tina said. "It's just that I don't associate with oppressors."

"'...Huh?" Kelyrnea asked, befuddled by the statement

"Don't get her started." Sotsam said. "She'll give you a novel's worth of reasons why the council races are the Evils."

"...Oh." Kelyrnea replied as the enjoyment in her soul audibly died with each millisecond the word was stretched out.

"She has an Extranet blog if you'd like to know more." Blaster decided to chime in.

"No." Kelyrnea said. "No. No, no, no. I don't think I'd like to know any more." she finished before promptly exiting the lounge. Sotsam and Tina looked back at Blaster.

"It was for the good us all." Blaster said.

The Shambhala passed several ships before being enveloped by a massive shadow. The crew looked in the direction of the shadow to find an incredible sight.

"What is that?" Nira asked no-one in particular.

Hovering flying above the Shambhala, as well as many other ships flying back and forth, was a truly massive dreadnought. The design was clearly Alliance, with its' turbines on its' sides and the white-and-blue coloration and very particular insignia made its' allegiance clear. The ship was decked with incredible guns and gigantic thrusters, giving off an aura of true power and intimidation. On the side of the ship were two words: STEVEN HACKETT emblazoned in pure black.

"The SSV Steven Hackett." The Captain explained. "Biggest ship in the Systems Alliance Fleet."

"No way." Monty said, staring in disbelief.

"Wow." Alex whispered, taking in the awe of the machination above her.

The Captain smiled as he observed his soldiers, indulging in staring at the immense vessel himself.

Nira raised an eyebrow. "What's the Steven Hackett?"

Alex turned to Nira, a wide grin on her face. "Oh let me tell you..." Alex began. "It was constructed 150 years ago after the end of the Reaper War as an experiment involving Reaper tech. It has a crew of over 1000 and has enough firepower to level an entire fleet. It's the personal vessel of Rear Admiral Jane Verner and is run by the original Enhanced Defense Intelligence. Oh, and it's also the ship that won the Battle of Rothla in 8 minutes flat." she finished, still grinning.

Nira just stared. "Well." she said. "That's...quite the ship."

"And how..." Alex wistfully declared, staring up at the vessel once more.

After the Shambhala emerged from the Hackett's shadow it homed in on the docking station it was assigned. The ship's nose aligned with a deck on the inner ring of the Citadel, and a pair of magnets lowered onto the ship, anchoring it in place as its' thrusters died down.

The door to the ship opened with a long hiss as a ramp extended onto the dock. The Captain, Kelyrnea, Feiyad, and the Mason twins exited the ship to be greeted by an escort party consisting of an asari flanked by two turian C-Sec officers. Behind them was a group of humans in C-Sec uniforms carrying tools. A maintenance crew to make sure the Shambhala was in tip-top shape the next time it took off.

"Welcome to the Citadel, Captain." The supposed head escort greeted with a smile on her lips. "The Council would like to see you as soon as possible."

"Thanks." The Captain said, nodding. "You expecting trouble?" he asked, eyeing the officers.

The escort's smile became strained as her eyes darted to her two guards. "Well, when you mentioned that you were bringing informants that weren't part of your crew they decided to take a few extra precautions." she said. "Not that they don't trust you, but you can never be too careful, right?"

"Of course." the Captain replied, clearly not believing a word. "Well, let's not waste any more time. Lead on."

The group was led away as the maintenance crew entered the ship.

"...and you let them get away!?" Salarian Councilor Zou questioned, clearly quite miffed.

"Our soldiers were under attack from an unidentified force." The Captain reiterated, looking up at the council. "We chose to save them."

"You put your own interests above our orders, Captain!" Zou accused, pointing a finger at the human before her. "And the mission was a failure because of that!"

Xander huffed, his arms crossed. The Council wasn't doing a good job of convincing him that testifying was a good idea.

"Councilor, please." The Asari Councilor, Tevos, interrupted her. "No-one could have expected the attackers to know about the Artifact."

"She's right." Human Councilor Wickett agreed. "It's Alliance protocol to never leave a soldier behind, after all." he explained.

"Even so, we lost a valuable asset." Turian Councilor Octavitus stated. "And this 'Charybdis' just gained one."

"What do we know about Charybdis?" Alex inquired.

"Nothing beyond what your informant has relayed." Krogan Councilor Bakara said, causing Feiyad to look around nervously again. "Which wasn't much." she added.

Feiyad just closed his eyes as he lowered his head.

"So, we're still stuck in the dark then?" Kelyrnea asked, shaking her head. "Hasn't this mission just been a complete waste of time?" she muttered to herself.

"This One advises you to watch your tongue, Operative T'Soni." Hanar Councilor Zhedoon, causing the Captain and Alex to raise an eyebrow at the Spectre. Kelyrnea just closed her eyes at the revelation of her surname.

"Regardless, this operation was a failure." Councilor Zhedoon continued. "We must track down the artifact and retrieve it with haste. Operative T'Soni, are you willing to partake in this mission?"

"Sure." Kelyrnea agreed. "But only if we get some more information. Why do you want these orbs?"

"That is classified informa-" Councilor Zou began.

"Now, hold on." Councilor Wickett interrupted. "If she's pursuing this thing I think she deserves to know what it is. It could be critical to their survival."

"That knowledge is on a need-to-know basis for a reason, Wickett." Councilor Octavitus reminded.

"Yeah...and she needs to know." Wickett retorted.

"Enough." Councilor Tevos commanded. "Arguing will get us nowhere."

"I agree." Councilor Bakara stated. "If we can't reach a conclusion then we put it to a vote."

Octavitus and Wickett both sighed at Bakara's order, but reluctantly agreed.

"All in favor of granting Operative T'Soni our intel on the artifacts?" Bakara called, raising her hand upward, indicating her vote. Wickett's hand shot up as well, followed by Tevos. A moment passed before Zhedoon raised a single tentacle skyward, determining the outcome of the vote. The remaining councilors silently expressed their disappointment.

"We must ask that the crew of the SSV Shambhala leave the Council Chambers." Tevos commanded. "This is highly classified information...unless the Operative wishes otherwise?"

"I do, your honor." Kelyrnea agreed. "They're already in the thick of it anyways."

"Wait, what?" Xander asked. Alex and the Captain's faces remained stoic, though a million questions were racing through the Lieutenant's mind at Kelyrnea's statement.

Tevos nodded, the next course of action clear. She raised her omni-tool, fiddling with it for a moment. A massive holographic screen quickly appeared between the Council and their audience, displaying a detailed dossier of the mysterious artifacts.

"We believe these artifacts are a form of advanced technology used by an ancient species." Tevos explained. "They appear to be some form of long-range quantum entanglement communicator, but only the concept is understood at this point. The longer an organic being is exposed to it, the more they believe that something, some...entity, is commanding them."

"Hmmm." the Captain acknowledged, stroking his mustache as he took in the information. Kelyrnea scanned the display silently, cataloging everything she could. Both of them took note of a single sentence at the top of the display, barely acknowledged by the Council and yet so interesting to the Captain and Spectre: Leviathan Codex.

"If you need any more intel-" Tevos began.

"Within reason." Octavitus interrupted.

"...within reason, visit the Spectre Requisitions Office, Operative." Tevos finished.

"Of course." Kelyrnea finished, bowing her head slightly.

"Now that you have this information, you are now officially under Council Protection." Octavitus explained, his armed crossed over his chest. "Which means you have free reign across Council Space so long as you have a Spectre with you. In the Terminus Systems, however, you're on your own."

"How you use this information is up to you." Bakara said. "But revealing it to the general public will count as treason. Remember that."

"We understand, Councilors." The Captain spoke for his crew.

"This meeting is adjourned." Tevos announced as the Council dispersed, walking (or in Zhedoon's case, floating) to either side of the chamber as the lights went out, leaving the room in darkness save for the light flowing in from the nebula outside.

"Well, we just got dragged into some shit." Xander announced, causing everyone around him to stop and pay attention. "I was happy to just say my piece and run off with my crew but no..."

"What are you on about?" The Captain grumbled.

"'We're already in the thick of it', eh?" Xander said. "Tell me, Spectre: what was that supposed to mean?!"

"It means that you've already been exposed to this whole mess." Kelyrnea replied, unfazed. "So you're the ideal people to stop it."

"I'm sorry, but when did I sign up for this!?" Xander shouted. "When did my CREW sign up for this!?"

"I'm inclined to agree." Alex said, crossing her arms. "I don't think the Shambhala's people would be amused to find out they've been drafted into a Council mission."

"First of all, who's the Captain of the ship, Lieutenant?" The Captain asked, his eyes narrowing.

Alex looked down, placing her hands behind her back. "Sorry, sir." she said.

The Captain nodded. "Second of all," he said to Xander "you and your band of misfits can do whatever you want. In fact, I'd be happy to let you go right now-"

"Hey!" Xander said.

"-but if you want to use your talents and resources for something worthwhile, here's your opportunity." he finished.

Xander just frowned, storming off.

"Interesting crew you've got there, Tsu." Kelyrnea observed, raising an eyebrow.

"He's not my crew." The Captain clarified. "Just hired help."

"He has a few problems..." Alex spoke up. "But he's a good man."

"I hope so." The Captain muttered under his breath. "Lieutenant." he announced. "The ship will be undergoing maintenance for the next..." he glanced at his omni-tool "4 hours. Until then, you've been granted temporary shore leave. Dismissed."

Alex nodded and saluted. "Sir." she said, walking off.

As soon as Alex left the scene the Captain turned to Kelyrnea, his hands behind his back. "I didn't want Xander on my ship." he said. "But I get the feeling we're going to need all the help we can get."

"You getting the same feeling?" Kelyrnea asked.

"The kind that keeps you up at night but you can't explain why?" The Captain asked.

"Yeah." Kelyrnea confirmed.


End file.
